Thanet

Thanet's population increased by about 7,500 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed 130,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Thanet increased by 5.9%, from just under 127,000 to 134,000.

The addition of almost 7,500 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Thanet was home to, on average, 9.3 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Thanet

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Thanet increased by two years, from 41 to 43 years.

This area had a higher average age than the South East and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of almost 4,200 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 2,000.

About 13.0% of people in Thanet are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Thanet by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Thanet working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 13.6% to 9.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 30 (3.4%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 2.0% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 14.3% in 2001 to 11.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13.0% to 10.1%.

Long hour working in Thanet decreased by 4.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Thanet, the South East and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Thanet residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.2% to 1.6% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 2.7%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 0.8% in 2001 to 1.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Thanet remained close to 1.6%

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Thanet by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Thanet

The percentage of Thanet residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.9% to 4.9% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 6.7%, while the percentage of Thanet residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 89.4% to 88.5%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability in Thanet increased by 1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Thanet, the South East and England that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Thanet

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Thanet was among those who said they had no religion, rising 13.5 points.

In 2011, 30.9% of respondents in Thanet gave this religion on the census compared with 17.4% of those who answered in 2001.

Across the South East, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 17.9% to 30.1%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Newham, 66.4% said they were Christian, compared with 80.8% in 2001. About 0.1% said they were Sikh, compared with 0.1% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and did not state their religion decreased from 9.9% to 8.0%.

In Thanet, 7.4% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 9.0% in 2001. In South East, 7.4% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population without a religion in Thanet increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, South East and Thanet by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Thanet at a faster rate than in Dover (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Thanet).

In Thanet, the proportion of private renting increased from 14.5% in 2001 to 23.8% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Dover increased from 10.5% to 17.1%.

Across the South East, the share of privately rented homes increased from 10.2% to 16.5%.

The rate of social housing in Thanet remained close to 12.7%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 70.1% to 62.0%.

Private renting in Thanet increased by 9.3 percentage points

Percentage of households in Thanet, the South East and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Thanet

The percentage of single people in Thanet increased from 26.4% to 31.4% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (44.4%) people aged 16 and over said they were married, compared with 49.0% in 2001. The percentage of adults in Thanet that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 13.5% to 15.2%.

The proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased faster here than the figure for the whole of the South East (from 28.5% in 2001 to 32.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 30.5% to 34.9%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Thanet residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 11.2% to 7.5% in the decade to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (75.8%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 63.2% in 2001. The percentage of Thanet residents that described their health as fair decreased from 25.7% to 16.7%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 7.2% in 2001 to 4.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Thanet decreased by 3.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Thanet, the South East and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Thanet

In 2011, 95.5% of Thanet residents said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, making it the most common ethnicity in this local authority area. The population from these groups has increased from 97.7% in 2001.

Across the South East, the percentage of people from one of the White ethnic groups fell from 95.3% to 90.9%, while across England the percentage went from 90.7% to 85.1%.

Around 1.9% of people in Thanet said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, compared with 0.9% in 2001. About 1.6% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.8% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.3% to 0.7%.

The population from one of the White ethnic groups in Thanet decreased by 2.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Thanet by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

The percentage of households in Thanet, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 7.9% to 9.9% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in three (34.7%) households had only one person, compared with 33.8% in 2001. The percentage of households in Thanet which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 30.5% to 27.9%.

The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 8.7% in 2001 to 9.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.3% to 9.9%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple was lower than across the South East

Percentage of households that had an unmarried couple across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Thanet residents that were unemployed increased from 4.4% to 5.7% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who said they were employed remained close to 46.5%, while the percentage of Thanet residents that were self-employed increased from 8.5% to 10.1%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.3% in 2001 to 3.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Thanet increased by 1.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Thanet, the South East and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Thanet without children remained close to 64.8% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage that had at least one dependent child remained close to 27.3%, while the percentage of households in Thanet with only adult children living with their parents increased from 7.9% to 8.1%.

The proportion of households without children increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (which remained close to 61.7%). Across England, the percentage remained close to 61.2%.

The proportion of households without children was higher than across the South East

Percentage of households without children across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

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Area report data

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